Coast Guard Crew Returns In Time To Celebrate New Year

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Just in time to celebrate the New Year with their families, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute returned home Monday, Dec. 31, to St. Petersburg following a 59-day patrol.

Resolute crew members patrolled more than 9,000 miles providing a law enforcement presence in the Caribbean Ocean in the vicinity of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico while deterring illegal migrant departures and playing a role in several Coast Guard operations.

"After spending the holidays deployed, Resolute crew members are ready to be home with family and friends to celebrate the New Year," said Cmdr. Roy R. Brubaker, commanding officer of the Resolute. "As always, the crew performed remarkably well amidst challenging weather conditions and mission demands."

During the patrol, the Resolute crew participated in a four-day operation targeting illicit flow of narcotics off the coast of Jamaica. At the conclusion of the operation, the Resolute crew transitioned to support Operation Unified Resolve and team with Coast Guard Sector San Juan crew members. Their joint efforts resulted in the interdiction of nine Dominican migrants attempting to illegally enter Puerto Rico.

Crew members also patrolled the Windward Passage, providing a presence and deterring illegal migration off the north coast of Haiti.

While conducting a port visit in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Resolute crew members, and personnel of the U.S. Embassy Kingston Staff, hosted Mayor Councillor Michael Belnavis along with 80 students from Ocho Rios Primary School. The tour provided an opportunity for Jamaican youth to learn about the Coast Guard and see aspects of seagoing life firsthand.

In the final days of patrol, the crew served as on-scene commander in a 37-hour search for a missing cruise ship crew member (see related story). Search crews saturated 105 square nautical miles, but unfortunately the crew member was not recovered.

The Resolute is a 210-foot Reliance class cutter homeported in St. Petersburg and has a crew of 78.

Images via U.S. Coast Guard

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)